—Cross the Bridge—
by Rsur Thorai
Summary: A riddle, a man, and an eerie skill all in one. Jihyun Kim, a Korean photographer, ends up close to the Mystery Shack in small town "nothing's happening here" Gravity Falls. His perspective of the world is complicated and twisted under a shining sun, a view that Mabel doesn't particularly wish to mess with. The mystery twins have a new goal now: unravel the enigma called "V".


**Really, V's a mystery all on his own for a various few many a reasons, of which can and will satisfy Dipper and Mabel (and the other GF people, but yeah). And then some. Ironically, he wasn't the thing that gave me the inspiration to write this, it was Vulkain's English version of the opening song that literally** ** _everyone_** **knows by now. His cover is good, go find on on YT.**

 _ **Obviously**_ **this is an AU. We all know the disclaimers, blah. A recap will go up here from chapter 2 onward. Whether or not a chapter has any sort of warnings, even none, I will put it up here as well under the recap. Also, please tell me if you'd like the summary here as well—whether as it is or more in depth.**

 **Enjoy, and please comment and rate and all that.**

 **WARNINGS: If you have a good/wild imagination, then you envisioning how he got his scars is warning enough, OOCness maybe (hopefully not, but I'm biased, so I can't judge nor tell if I portrayed them correctly)  
**

* * *

 _ **—Cross the Bridge—**_

 _ **1\. Mystic Messages Pt. 1**_

* * *

Her phone buzzed. Wendy, glad as ever for a break during work time of when she does nothing anyway, flips out her phone. Brown eyes blinked at the text she received.

 _—[?, 3:01 PM]—SMEESEHTAHWTONSINATS_

The teen frowned at the jumbled, random letter. What the heck was that supposed to mean?

 _—[?, 3:02 PM]—Decipher this if you feel so inclined. Please message back when you have an answer._

Well, at least this one was in English. Against her better judgement, the redhead swiped her fingers across her keyboard.

 _—[Wendy, 3:04 PM]—Who are you man? What do you want?_

 _—[?, 3:04 PM]—I cannot disclose who I am as of this moment. What I "want" is for you to decipher a series of codes I'll be giving you. You can solve them by any means that you feel. Ask your coworkers if they've received any mysterious messages, that may help. A puzzle needs to be solved. Here's your next code: Crucified, the man fell from skies above, all to protect what cannot ever be returned to whence it came. Have fun._

She tried texting the other person back, spamming even, but to no avail. She tossed her phone onto the counter and crossed her arms, glaring at it. She sighed, stood, and retrieved her phone. It was best to leave things to Dipper.

* * *

"You want me to decipher these?" he repeated for confirmation, eyes narrowing at the letters on the piece of paper. He had copied them from Wendy's phone. The teen nodded. "Yeah. At the very least, we can get something out of this, even if it's useless." He shrugged, but agreed.

"Let's see... we can start with the riddle.'Crucified, the man fell from skies above', that... can be either taken quite literally, half literally, or not at all." His brows went together as he frowned. Mabel was staring at the riddle with an intensity that Dipper didn't notice.

"I guess... if taken literally, it's just that. Though if it's only partially, then... he could be hurt, and is either literally falling or is descending onto a spiraling path. 'All to protect what cannot ever be returned to whence it came' could mean that he's hurt as a result of sacrificing himself to protecting something that is... lost?" He tilted his head, confusement now on his face.

Wendy shrugged, Mabel groaned and fell back, and Soos (who just came in) hummed. This time it was Dipper that groaned, copying his twin.

"Okay, okay. How about the other-" He lifted the paper, took only a single glance at the other code, before throwing it away from him. It floated to the floor in front of Stan, who came in to see what all the ruckus was.

"Some guy messaged me some codes, and Dipper's trying to crack them. It isn't going too well." The older man frowned, pushing the paper away with his foot. "Well in any case, you kids should come and see this." The twins sat up, each of the four shooting each other looks before following Stan out of the attic. They were led outside to the back of the Shack.

On the futon sitting on the porch (it was currently half folded, like a couch) lied a man in mostly gray, with vibrant blue hair and silver-black gunmetal aviators to top it off. He not only oozed wealth, but a strangeness that seemed sole only to him. The four workers stared for a long moment, mostly because of the hair.

"I found him on the edge of the forest and decided to drag him back here. I ain't good with injuries and all that, so I need you all to fix him up." It was only then that they noticed the bruises, cuts, and few blood spots. Despite this, he was eye catching in a good way. Dipper took a glance at his twin, and for sure, Mabel was nearly drooling. A quick glance at Wendy showed she was impressed. Either just that, or she could hide her thoughts well.

"C'mon dude," Soos said, nudging Dipper with his elbow. "Let's bring him insi-" He was forced to stop talking when the man (his shoulders were already in Soos' grasp) shifted sharply away, hissing quietly. His head lifted, a hand under the hair on the left side, pushing himself up. He turned in their direction. It was hard to tell who it was, exactly, he was looking at.

The five and the man had a short staring contest, broken by the mystery person. "Where is this?" he asked slowly. He cringed as Mabel squealed when she heard him speak. His voice was that of velvet, and soft, only slightly on the deep side, but enough to tell that it was indeed a man.

"This is the Mystery Shack," Soos supplied helpfully. "Mr. Pines here said he found you right outside the forest. C'mon dude, how about we get you inside and fixed up?" From the way he phrased it, and the patiently waiting stare, he was giving the other an option of refusal.

The turquoise haired man only swung his legs over the side of the futon, standing with the help of Soos. "I... appreciate that. Thank you." He turned his head a bit. "If you don't mind my asking, who are you all?"

"Oh oh!" Mabel scurried in front of him, forcing him to look down. "I'm Maaabelll~ And this is my dorky brother Dipper!" The boy frowned. The only teen stepped forth placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "Wendy Corduroy's the name. I work the cashier. That's Soos, he's the handyman."

Said handyman straightened, a serious look on his face, saluting. "Yes. And I do my job well." The man didn't comment. Stan held a hand out.

"Stan Pines. Now who the heck are you?" The man slowly reached a hand out, and when touching Stan's, grasped it firmly. "In America, my name would be said as... Jihyun Kim." Everyone's brows shot up in surprise.

"Here? Then... where are you from?" Dipper asked, eyes narrowing at the unusual name. "Korea," he answered shortly. But then he continued, "I... traveled here because... I heard rumors about a town called Gravity Falls. At the very least, I thought I could get some pictures of what strikes my fancy."

Jihyun turned his head to face the forest. "I... don't quite remember how I came to be hurt. I suppose I got lost or the like and ran into some of the wildlife... and them some." The last part was said rushed, as if he didn't want to say it, but at the same time didn't want to hide anything. Dipper's eyes narrowed in unison with his grunkle's.

"Cool, dude. But that sucks, getting lost and all. As I promised, one speedy recovery coming up! Just follow me." Jihyun nodded, stepping back briefly to unhook something from his belt that went unnoticed until now. He flicked it outward, it expanding. As he trailed after Soos, he was revealed that it was a black cane. As if feeling their questioning looks, he mentioned that his legs often became weak.

* * *

Once sitting down, Jihyun was instructed to remove his jacket. He this did without hesitation. It was only after his arms, hands, and a single cut on his face was bandaged was he politely asked if he would remove his shirt. The sleeves was long, and he had rolled them up before, but Soos wanted to be thorough in his role as a doctor.

"Is... this really necessary?" Soos nodded vehemently. "Sure is, dude. I want to check if you hit your head too, and you'll need to remove those rad shades of yours so I can." A soft, whispered huff escaped the patient, he visibly and reluctantly complying. The on viewers (who followed because they wanted to learn more of the mystery person) gasped at the wounds and scars on Jihyun's body.

A few notable ones were a burn mark over his shoulder blades, a criss-cross patch formed in a crude line stretching from his right side to his hip, and the largest going from the middle of his back and over his left side before stopping below his navel which formed a crescent of sorts. Those were merely the scars (Stan did silently note one on his neck in the form of what could be a bullet).

His wounds ranged from cuts, harmless scratches, and gashes that were actively bleeding and probably needed stitches. Soos didn't seem as appalled as the others at Jihyun's "history", though he did pale a bit and appeared more focused and serious. He carefully helped the Korean onto a stool so he could reach better.

"You know that you should probably go to the hospital, right?" When given a silent nod, Soos sighed and nodded in turn, recognizing that he wouldn't be going. Soos carefully disinfected each would with care, starting with the worst so they could be bound sooner. Meanwhile, the other three made (forced) talk with the newcomer.

"Jihyun Kim, right?" Dipper repeated from before, stumbling over the first name. Jihyun nodded. "You said you came to Gravity Falls when hearing some rumors. What did you hear?"

Jihyun looked down and stared at the floor for a few moments. "Mostly... speakings about either mythical or fantastical creatures. The Loch-Ness, ghosts, those sorts. What actually garnered my interest was that anyone outside of this town, if never coming from or ever visiting here, when asked, had no idea about such things, or even a town named Gravity Falls. I decided to go take a look for myself, and if anything caught my attention, I'd get a few pictures."

"You're a photographer?" Stan asked quickly. Jihyun nodded, pulling out his phone from his pocket. He opened it up to his gallery, handing it so the man could see. Stan was in clear awe at the breathtaking and skillfully took pictures, and what he was saying were of only scenic things.

"Got anything more... physical?" A few seconds later, he was seeing what looked like flying eyeball bats. "That was the first thing I encountered in Gravity Falls, and so far the second." Stan learned a moment after that the first thing discovered were the gnomes. The gnomes had multiple pictures taken, each one as brilliant as the one before. Not to mention chilling.

He handed back the phone with a grin, shaking Jihyun's hand roughly. "You're hired! For as long as you're here, you'll be making some money." Jihyun winced, but otherwise didn't complain. He only nodded silently in agreement.

"Alright dude," Soos said, standing from the spot he knelt. "You gotta take off your rad shades now, need to take a look at your head." Slowly, more so then seen before, he removed his aviators. His eyes were closed, but that didn't distract anyone from taking notice of the scars speckled near his right eye. A wound stretched from his temple and into his hair. Soos gently maneuvered the hair to see it fully, and frowned.

"This is not good dude, you've cracked your head." While the others had a look of alarm flash on their faces, Jihyun was strangely calm. "I was aware that I at the very least have a concussion. This doesn't surprise me. If you could disinfect it and wrap it, I'll be quite fine." The two had a stare off (one half of a stare off, really), Mabel mentally counting. Soos broke it first, ceasing Mabel's counts at 23 seconds. He complied to Jihyun's suggestions, and soon the man had his shirt back on as with his jacket.

A hand was placed on his wrist as he moved to put on his aviators. His head turned to Dipper. "Not to offend, but why won't you open your eyes?" When the photographer didn't move to reply immediately, Stan stepped in.

"Kid, just let him be. If he-" Jihyun held a hand up. "No, it's quite alright Mr. Pines," Somehow, everyone doubted that it was 'quite alright'. "It's... best if everyone knew in any case."

With that, he opened his eyes. If anyone was shocked at the blankness, they didn't show it, not that it mattered. It was clear that his turquoise orbs were once vibrant and full of life, but now they were dim and eerily dead.

"You're blind?" Stan stated the obvious. "For the most part. I can see clear outlines in bright light, though in the dark it's useless for me to even try. I've been like this for awhile, and I've gotten used to using my phone to see." At their confused faces, he retrieved his phone from his pocket, handing it to Dipper. Once told what to do, he moved into the living room and muted the TV, changing the channel and stopping it on the title screen. He held the phone up so the camera was trained on the screen.

It wasn't until a few many seconds later was an answer called out. "...Ducktective? What an odd show. Am I saying that right?" His question never got answered, Dipper running into the room and shaking the man violently (after giving back the phone).

 _"How can you do that?!"_ Jihyun was startled but recovered quickly. "Korea is technologically more advanced than America. I have a... chip of sorts that let me see anything through or on my phone as if it were normal vision, though only a screen across your eyes. It's similar to the theories of a game being in virtual reality, which is essentially what is happening here, only it's no game. Technically it could be, however, considering that you can download games."

Dipper was in pure awe. "And the buttons on the phone? How can you see those?"

"Instinct, habit, and I see those as well. Before, you were, to me, holding my head. It was disconcerting. I tend to develop headaches regularly as a result from this form of sight, however, so it does has its drawbacks."

Dipper mentally envisioned a light bulb, and no doubt pretty much everyone could see as such. "Are you good at decoding?" Jihyun raised a brow. "Moderately so, I suppose. What is it?"

Dipper asked to borrow his phone once more and promptly entered both into the notepad app (he briefly dashed upstairs to retrieve the paper to double check).

Jihyun eyed them critically, hooking his aviators on his shirt. "The first one, the letters, are only backwards. Flip them with the addition of appropriate spaces, the code is 'STAN IS NOT WHAT HE SEEMS.'" At their sudden stillness, he started typing into his phone to get the other.

"I wouldn't be too worried. After all, there has to be more than one Stan, right? The second one is a riddle. Translated, and there are various meanings, I think I understand the oddities of Gravity Falls a bit more... Though no doubt, more questions are raised."

At their continued silence, he continued. "I said that I traveled here. That is completely true. I never said how I can to be here, nor how and what exactly landed me where you found me. Mr. Pines, when did you find me?"

The man grunted, "'Round three or so." It was 4:02 PM now. "Who received these codes, and when?"

"Uh... I did," Wendy filled in. "And around three..." Dipper stared at him, then the paper.

"This... isn't a coincidence," they each said at once.

"Indeed, I don't believe it is. 'Crucified, the man fell from skies above, all to protect what cannot ever be returned to whence it came.'While meaning a number of things, one stance that I am more inclined to believe as truth than any other is 'A man, damaged, falls from grace to keep what cannot go to where he came.' If you don't understand, I'm basically saying that a damaged man, in any form, will be found. He falls from grace—either heaven, a parallel world, Korea as it's known as the 'holy grounds', or lost his morals or something equally important—to either follow to attempt to return what fell before him. It..."

He hesitated, though a curious, boyish look had him pushing on. "I recently... My fiancee left me. I went towards the deep end and only began to recover from events during and after such. I can't remember, exactly, _why_ I was in that particular place when you found me. I was, and am, injured on... various levels and with... various forms. I chased after my fiancee with a mindset that wasn't the most healthy, and... things got worse."

It was clear that he was trying to give enough information to satisfy them along with answering their initial questions and then some while being as vague as possible. It, clearly, didn't and doesn't work out. Stan made a face.

"That _is_ creepy... But hey, not my problem. Say, how old are you?"

"26 in America."

"Ever done any drugs, crossed a line with the feds, all that?"

"No."

"Good, you're working from seven to seven everyday unless you got a valid excuse on why you can't work. I expect to see thirty pictures each of the creatures you already have plus whatever other thing you can find." He then promptly leaves the room after putting on an eye patch, assumingly getting ready for tourists.

Jihyun stared in his general direction, shook his head, and turned to face the other four. "Know any good spots where the fabled creatures appear? Might as well get started now."


End file.
